A discipleship band is a group of three to five people who read together, pray together, and meet together to become the love of God for one another and the world.
Download the FREE Discipleship Bands - A Practical Field Guide PDF!
Or, order booklet versions of the field guide here!
John Wesley once famously said, "There is no holiness apart from social holiness." Over the years, many have mistakenly asserted that he was talking about social justice.
In reality, he was talking about doing discipleship in the context of real relationships. In essence, you can't become a real Christian alone. The way forward is as close as a few other people who are willing to band together.
We're not talking about a traditional small group or a typical accountability group. The primary curriculum is the lives of the bandmates, joined together in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
the discipleship band meeting format
opening
Group prayer adapted from Ephesians 5:14 and 3:14-19.
questions
1. How is it with your soul?
2. What are your struggles and successes?
3. How might the Spirit and Scriptures be speaking in your life?
When you are ready to go deeper...
4. Do you have any sin that you want to confess?
5. Are there any secrets or hidden things you would like to share?
closing
Group prayer adapted from Ephesians 3:20-21
the seven commitments
- Respect the clock: Do your best to share within 15-20 minutes.
- Challenge by choice: You have permission to skip a question at any time.
- No cross-talk: Don't give advice or interrupt.
- One Counselor (come Holy Spirit): Listen and pay attention to how the Holy Spirit might prompt you to pray.
- Comfort with empathy: Hold space for others with open hearts. Rather than offering pity or sympathy, show up and tune in- bless, encourage, and build up.
- Community of grace: When someone confesses sin, pardon by saying, "In the name of Jesus Christ you are forgiven." If someone shares a secret, thank them for their courage and never judge.
- Strictly confidential: Never share another person's comments outside of the group.
check out the discipleship bands app!
The Discipleship Bands app facilitates deep, meaningful band relationships in two ways. First, it delivers discipleship content to you every day, and, second, it brings your band together into a private online group to interact around that content. It's that simple.
Jump in with your existing band, a set of old friends, or new friends drawn together by a desire for deeper discipleship.
You never know when you'll receive a word from the Lord for a bandmate or when you'll need support and encouragement.
Daily notifications come each morning, so you won't forget a reading.
When truth enters into our togetherness through the five questions, it produces transformation.
time + trust = transformation
Discipleship Bands is a Seedbed initative
